Bag-in-box containers are used in a variety of industries for shipping, storing and dipensing materials. Such containers are useful because they provide a protective outer box, constructed from corrugated paperboard and the like, which withstands handling during shipping and use. Protectively enclosed within the box is a flexible liner or bag which usually has an opening, such as a spout, for filling and dispensing any pourable material. The spout is typically disposed within the box during shipping and can be exposed by opening the box, often by means of a removable punch-out in a wall of the box.
Although the box can be constructed in any size and shape, the box of the present invention is designed primarily as alternative packaging for the five gallon plastic pail. Environmental concerns such as overflowing landfills, hazardous material containment and disposal have made the plastic containers undesirable. Many landfills are refusing to accept five gallon plastic pails. Hence, there is great interest in alternative packaging to replace the plastic containers. However the alternative should provide the same containment, fill and ease of use features as the five gallon plastic pail without the disposal problems.
The following patents exemplify existing boxes for bag-in-box containers.
Cox, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 3,100,587, discloses a bag-in-box construction wherein a spout of the bag is secured to a top flap of the box for movement between a retracted storage position within the box and a dispensing position wherein the spout extends from a corner of the box.
Chapman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,349,986, discloses (see FIGS. 7 and 8) a bag-in-box structure wherein an aperture for friction-locking the bag spout in a fixed position is provided on a top flap of the box. Adjacent top flaps, once opened by a tear-away, leave the spout in an exposed condition. A hand-hold slot is provided adjacent to the spout.
Kuss, U.S. Pat. No. 2,946,494, discloses a two box bag-in-box structure wherein a spout of the bag is fixedly secured in an aperture provided in the corner of a cover flap of an inner box. The spout, once mounted, is fixed on the inner box. The inner box is placed in an outer box having cover flaps which cover the spout for shipping.
Greenslade, U.S. Pat. No. 5,054,644, discloses a bag-in-box construction wherein a spout of the bag is secured in a centrally located aperture of a top flap of the box. The spout, once mounted for dispensing, is fixed in an exposed condition.
Eeg et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,815,631, and Goetschius et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,253,764, each disclose bag-in-box constructions wherein a spout of the bag is secured in an aperture provided in a lower corner portion of the box. The Eeg et al. aperture serves also as a hand-hold. In Goetschius et al., the spout extends through an enlarged aperture in an inner wall panel and is locked in a smaller aperture of an outer pivotable panel. With both constructions, the spout is exposed when mounted in the dispensing position.
British Patent No. 922,960, discloses a dispensing carton, without an inner plastic bag, wherein a dispensing spout is mountable in an aperture cut into overlapping adhesively attached wall panels of the box.
None of the above described patents discloses a box for use with a bag, constructed from a blank of sheet material, such as corrugated paperboard and the like, that is configured for efficient box plant manufacturing, provides the same containment, fill and ease of use features as the five gallon plastic pail, and serves as a recyclable alternative to plastic containers.